Vengeance Served
by XAgent-Venom666X
Summary: (Two-Shot) Negan thought he had everything figured out, he had no way of knowing all his past sins would catch up to him. And it took the night he threatened Rick's group for it all to come crashing down. His soul was stained by the blood of the innocent...and he was going to feel their pain...
1. Part 1

Marcus Graves had been through and endured many things in his life. In all honesty, surviving through a world overrun by the undead was a cake walk compared to most of the shit he had seen and done.

But at the moment, none of that mattered as he sat on his knees among several others, surrounded by gunmen with a man in a leather jacket wielding a baseball bat wrapped in barbwire pacing infront of them, deciding on who would meet their demise by his hand.

Marcus had been part of Rick's group before they took refuge in the prison. Finding the survivors months after the farm they had been staying at had been overrun and they were forced to flee.

In the beginning, none of them trusted him at first. A young man barely into his twenties riding in on a harley didn't really come off as someone trustworthy given how the world had turned out. But overtime, he had gained the trust of the group, becoming a strong ally, a good friend...and eventually, a member of the family.

Of course, none of them knew about the dark secret he had been harboring. Doing all in his power to keep it locked within, afraid of the fear he would instill in them when they discovered the truth.

Even after the prison fell to the governer, after they had all been scattered to the winds for weeks, escaping Terminus, coming together again, saving Beth from near death, finding Alexandria and making a new life for themselves. He still couldn't tell them of what he held within...a dark spirit with a never ending thurst for vengeance on those who spilled the blood of the innocent.

The same spirit who had been rattling the cage it has been in for too long, a cage that was battered and at risk of breaking open.

The spirit was howling now, these people, these so called 'Saviors' killed many innocent, committed many great sins. They needed to be punished, banished to Hell for what they have done...

"Eeny," Negan began, aiming Lucielle at Rick first before moving on to the next person lined up before him, "Meny," Maggie shivered in her spot, her face pale as she cradled her stomach to protect her and Glenn's unborn child. "Miney," the bat aimed at Daryl, who looked defiant even with a bullet hole in his shoulder. "Moe."

Marcus heard Beth shutter beside him, the anger in his soul climbed higher and higher, threatening to break free. The spirit wanted out. It wanted to deal justice onto these monsters. Make them suffer...burn their very souls to ashes along with their flesh.

"Catch, a tiger, by it's toe." Negan continued, a sadistic smirk on his face as he relished the power he had over the group. "If, he hollers, let him, go."

The spirit was in full rage now, no one noticing the trails of steam that started to come off of Marcus' skin. His fists clenched tight at his sides as he started shaking. His inner struggle waning bit by bit, the final thread about to snap...

"Eeny, meny, miney..."

" _No._ "

All eyes turned to Marcus, his head raising as he glared at Negan.

"Ex-Fucking-cuse me?" the leader fo the Saviors said, not at all impressed with being interrupted.

"You heard me." Marcus rumbled back, "You're not going to hurt anyone. Not now, and never again."

Negan blinked before he burst out laughing, his men joining him a moment later. "You hear that boys?! This little shit here, thinks I'm not gonna quench Lucielle's thurst! Deny my dirty girl a chance to bash some fuckin' brains in!"

He turned to the younger man, his grin firmly in place again. "Well, now that you've ruined the anticipation. I guess you're the one that gets up close and personal with my leading lady here." Negan stood infront of Marcus, taking Lucielle off his shoulder. "You better watch sweet cheeks," he said to Beth who was stricken with terror. "You're boytoy here is about to become, open-minded."

The bat rose into the air, the group could only watch in horror as it was brought down hard toward its target.

For Marcus, time slowed to a crawl. Seeing what would have been his demise coming toward him. But inside, he did the one thing that had been denied for far too long...

He let the Spirit of Vengeance free.

With lightning speed, his hand shot out and stopped Lucielle cold. Barbed wire biting into the skin of his palm as he rose to his feet. Negan stood there gobsmacked, as did his men and the group. Marcus' stood to his full height, steam coming off his skin and very visible as his dark eyes became alight with flames that flickered brightly in their depths.

"It's time to pay for your sins..." Marcus all but hissed a moment before his flesh caught on fire.

All in attendance watched frozen as the young man's skin burned away like ashes, revealing a blackened skeleton covered in dark flames. He sent one last look at his group, his family, with sorrow before his head vanished in the flames, leaving a burning skull in its wake with pitch-black sockets that seemed to swallow the very light around them.

"...What the fu-" Negan was cut off when the rider's boot connected with his chest, sending him flying into the side of the RV he had come out of. His men snapped out of their stupor and opened fire on the being. Bullets peppering along the singed leather jacket but doing little to no harm to it as it snapped its head around to leer at them.

Snapping its arm out, a long super-heated metal chain with a sharp hook at the end extended from its sleeve that was lashed out through the air.

"GET DOWN!" Rick shouted, he and the others dropping to the ground as the chain went over their head and struck the Saviors around them. Anyone that came in contact with the metal exploded in a flash of burning flesh, leaving nothing but cooling piles of ashes behind.

A second chain came out of the rider's other sleeve and joined the first in the assault, those that fought, that tried to run, didn't make it far.

One of the Saviors attempted to run at the being with a machete, the rider glared at them and swung its arm out, sticking the man and sending him flying to the side while on fire. A second Savior managed to stab the rider in the side...but the blade of the knife instantly melted leaving the man in terrified shock before he was grabbed by the throat.

The rider roared at the man before spewing a jet of hellfire from its mouth and burning him to nothing. In no time, the Savior's numbers had been cut to almost nothing.

Despite the pain wracking his body and the blood dripping down his face, Negan watched in horrified awe as all his men were wiped out. The smell of their burnt flesh all that remained as their executioner turned and glared his way.

Bending down, the vengeful spirit picked up Lucielle, keeping eye contact with the leader of the Saviors as he pointed a single finger at him;

 **"YOU...GUILTY."** it spoke in a deep, echoing, demonic tone. The legendary baseball bat bursting into flames and vanishing into the air to punctuate the statement.

In the blink of an eye, the rider stood before him. His burning, skeletal fingers grabbing the collar of his jacket and lifting him off the ground so they were face to face.

 **"YOUR SOUL IS STAINED BY THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT!"** the rider hissed. Negan could only quake, for the first time since he became what he was...he was afraid.

 **"FEEL THEIR PAIN!"** the empty sockets pulled the man's attention into their depths...only to be lost in the seemingly endless barrage of memories that attacked him.

Every act he committed against people. The savagery he was known for, the threats, the beatings he dished out, the pain and suffering he caused as leader of the Saviors. Everything that made him what he was was turned against him. Negan screamed in agony as his very soul was burned by all the pain he brought upon others, the sound echoing through the forest and turning the blood of those who heard it to ice.

After a few seconds, the noise came to an end. Negan stared blankly forward, his eyes nothing more than smoldering pits. Nothing more than an empty shell without a soul.

Finished with its work, the rider carelessly tossed the man's body aside before turning its attention to the lone survivor of the man's people.

From his spot behind Daryl, Dwight dropped the hunter's crossbow and fell to his knees. Fear crippling him as he witnessed the deaths of all of Negan and his men. Some part of him, the part that still believed in such things, thought this was some kind of punishment brought upon for all the horrible things the Saviors had done.

The scarred man knew he was just as guilty. He'd done terrible things in the name of Negan and his so called 'New World Order', his own wife becoming part of the man's sick harem just to keep them both alive under his leadership.

He looked up, the rider stood before him. The heat coming off its body making sweat break out on Dwight's skin. Slowly, the now former follower of Negan stood, prepared to accept his fate.

Staring into the man's soul, the rider witnessed the hardships and the sacrifices Dwight endured for survival. He committed many horrible acts for the sake of not only himself, but his wife and many others as well.

His soul was tainted, but could be absolved. Hope was not lost for this one.

 **"DO NOT CROSS MY PATH AGAIN."** the rider rumbled, the warning very clear.

Stunned briefly, Dwight nodded once before running as fast as he could in the other direction. Silence befalling the clearing, the headlights of the still idle cars and motorcycles illuminating the area.

The rider turned his attention to the group, all of them had moved closer together after the Saviors had been dealt with, their eyes locked on him as if expecting his wrath to be turned on them next.

He turned his head away, not wanting to see their fear of him, having expected such a reaction after witnessing the terrible power he wielded. But he would do it all again to keep them safe. No matter what happened after all this, even if they cast him out, they were still his family.

"Marcus...?" the rider raised his head and saw Beth standing before him. Her blue eyes taking in his flaming form a moment before looking into his face.

The raging hellfire that covered his body dimmed, turning a light shade of blue in an attempt to look less threatening to the blonde as she took a hesitant step closer. Her hand reaching out to him.

 **"MONSTER..."** he hissed softly, turning away from her.

Beth blinked, surprised at the reaction before she steeled her resolve. "I'm not afraid." she said with conviction, making the rider turn back and face her. Her hand reached out again, the flames covering his skull licked around her fingers...but did not burn her.

When the blonde's hand cupped the skeletal cheek she had been reaching for, the blaze fizzled out completely. Muscle and skin appearing almost instantly until Marcus' face smiled back at her.

"Hey." he said in nearly a whisper.

Beth smiled back at him, "Hey."

"What in God's hairy ballsack just happened?!" Abraham bellowed, finally breaking his own silent spell and saying what was on everyone's minds.

"It's a long story, Abe." Marcus said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What did...how did..." Glenn tried to speak, unable to come up with an actual question as he looked at the smoldering remains of the Saviors.

Rick looked down at Negan's body, the hollow expression on his face and his burned out eye sockets making the former officer feel uneasy. "We should get back to Hilltop." he said after swallowing thickly. "We'll take the RV and a couple of the cars here, gather any and all supplies you can, these guys won't be needing them."

The others quickly got to work, Glenn leading his pregnant wife onto the RV and making sure she was comfortable for the trip back.

Marcus watched the others for a moment before he saw Rick approaching him. His expression unreadable. The younger man squared his shoulders, prepared for the man to tell him to get lost.

When he stood infront of Marcus, Rick surprised him by pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you." he said before stepping back. "I don't know, what the hell you did or how, but thank you."

"I was expecting you to throw me out of the group." Marcus said honestly. "I wouldn't have blamed you."

Rick smirked, "I can assume you had your reasons for keeping quiet about...whatever you turned into. I just hope you don't mind going into that long story you mentioned."

The younger man nodded, "You all deserve that much, and then some."

Within minutes, the group had gotten everything they needed and prepared to depart as the sun started to rise with early morning light.

Sitting on the seat of a motorcycle that once belonged to a Savior, Marcus watched as the sky lit up with an array of oranges and purples, enjoying the moment before hitting the road.

A sudden weight behind him had him looking over his shoulder to see Beth sitting there. "What's up?" he asked.

"I thought I would ride back with you, if that's okay?" she replied.

Marcus smiled back, "Won't hear any complaints from me. I gotta ask though, why aren't you afraid?"

Beth gave him another smile, "Because I know you. You've always been there, looking out for everyone and protecting. You saved my life, and then again last night along with everyone else. It doesn't matter to me what you are, you're still Marcus."

She finished her statement by leaning up and placing a kiss on his cheek, causing the rider's face to turn a light shade of pink. They both looked up when a horn honked, Rick waving to them and telling them they were heading out, the small conboy hitting a small dirt road and heading back to Hilltop.

At the front was Marcus, rumbling along with Beth hugging him from behind with her chin resting on his shoulder.

He knew that things would be strange when he told everyone the truth, but he knew that he had done the right thing.

It was his job as the Ghost Rider. And he would continue to do so if it meant protecting everyone he held dear.


	2. Part 2

**A/N: NOW A TWO-SHOT FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT!**

The trip back to Hilltop took barely an hour, and when they pulled up to the walled community and informed the residents that Negan and his men had been dealt with there had been disbelief among them.

Then Rick showed them the scorched piece of barbed wire that had once been on Lucielle, along with a detailed overview of what happened the night before, and the disbelief turned into cheering elation. The knowledge that the tyrannical leader of the Saviors, along with some of his head followers, had been killed took a great weight from the shoulders of all those in the colony.

After things settled down, along with Maggie getting looked at by the doctor to check on her and the baby after all the stress the two of them had been under, the group from Alexandria all gathered in the main office of the large building. Everyone sitting around in relative comfort, their attention focused on Marcus who sat on the desk, mulling over what he was going to say to everyone after decimating the Saviors the previous night.

"No point in putting it off anymore, huh?" he asked as he looked up toward Rick.

"Saved our asses last night," Daryl said, his arm bandaged up. "Whatever freaky shit you did, it was somethin' else."

Eugene shook his head, "Not possible. What we witnessed was scientifically impossible." he looked at Marcus as if he were looking through a microscope, trying to figure out what he could.

"Science won't explain this one, Rain Man." Marcus said with a small smirk.

"Then please, enlighten us." said Michonne. She was a bit on edge after the event, but a large part of her still trusted the younger man. Even more so with the knowledge that if it hadn't been for him, Rick and the others wouldn't have let her stay at the prison in the first place.

With a sigh, the rider stood up. "What you all saw last night, was something that has been with me since long after the world went to hell. I don't know how much you all believe in spirits, but I'm pretty sure by the end of all this you'll be believers."

"What you saw last night, what I turned into, is known as the Ghost Rider. An immortal entity that feeds on the souls of the wicked. Those who have committed great sins, spilled innocent blood or are just the worst of the worst, they become the rider's next victim."

" 'Immortal entity'?" questioned Abraham. "Sorry, little man, but that's kinda hard to swallow."

"Where did it come from?" Sasha asked next.

Marcus took a deep breath, "A long time ago, God sent an angel from Heaven to Earth. Zarathos, the Angel of Justice, was tasked with protecting the innocent from evil. He saw Humanity as the Almighty's greatest creation, and would do anything to keep them safe."

"But one day, he had been tricked, captured by demons and taken to Hell where he was tortured and forced to witness the magnitude of Humanity's depravity. This went on for centuries until his mind broke, his spirit corrupted and plagued with insanity."

"His mission to protect the innocent soon became twisted into a never ending lust to punish the guilty. Zarathos became the Spirit of Vengeance. Enslaved by the devil himself to do his bidding on Earth through forcing people to sign a contract to bind Zarathos to them and become his personal bounty hunter. The Ghost Rider."

A stunned silence befell the group, many trying to take in the story. "You're telling us, that a corrupted, fallen angel is _inside_ you?" Aaron stated as if he couldn't fully grasp what he was saying himself.

"Bound to me, yes." Marcus replied.

"How?" asked Rick. "How did you become this _Ghost Rider_?"

Marcus was silent for a long moment, "We've all done things we weren't proud of, it's a given considering the world we live in now. But in some situations, you never realize the gravity of what's happening until it's too late..." he said, sounding like he was talking more to himself than the others.

"I was part of a group out West, moving from town to town while staying one step ahead of the walker herds. Things were pretty good for a while, but it wasn't long before we all realized that the undead weren't the only thing to be worried about."

"One night, a group of bandits attacked us, we were outnumbered and outgunned. They took our supplies, raped the women in our group, then they started executing us one after another. I tried to save who I could, but the bastard incharge shot me in the chest and left me for dead...in that moment, for the first time in a long time, I prayed. I prayed to whoever would listen. I wanted to live, to get revenge on the bastards that killed the good people I had been with, that no price was too great...then, I died."

He looked up at the group with a hollow gaze, "There was nothing, just darkness. Then I heard a voice, asking me if I wanted a second chance. To punish those that hurt my friends, to avenge my own death and ensure that nothing like that happened to anyone else...I said yes."

"Then I was alive again. Staring up at someone standing over me, I never saw his face, but the next thing I know I was on fire. They had passed something into me, something powerful, ancient. I had been reborn."

Marcus looked to each of them, "That was the deal I made. To punish anyone who spilled innocent blood. To protect what little life there was left in this world...I gave away my own soul, to become what I am now."

No one knew how to respond. The sheer magnitude of what they had been told weighing on all of them like a shroud. Carl was the first one to break the silence.

"Why now? Why not when the prison was attacked? Or at Terminus?"

The young rider rose from his spot on the desk, walking over to the large window that overlooked the Hilltop community outside. "It's not as easy as you think. It is hard to say who would be the rider's target." he turned around and faced the group again, "Each and every one of you, save one or two, have committed a sin. The sheer level of them are minor at best, but I didn't want to take the chance of anyone facing the rider's form of punishment."

"That, and I didn't want you all to fear me. Not after everything we've all been through together."

"What happened to Negan?" asked Rosita. Having grown up in a bit of a religious family, it was truly eye opening to see someone who was bound to a fallen angel and that there was some truth to what she had been raised to believe.

Marcus gave a humorless smirk, "I burned his soul from his body." the calm way he answered had left them all shivering. "It's called the Penance Stare. The Ghost Rider's ultimate power. It reflects all of the horror and pain someone has done in their life and uses it to destroy that person's soul, leaving behind an empty husk. There is no afterlife for those who fall victim to it, only oblivion, the worst sentence in existence."

"Fuck me." Daryl muttered, running a hand through his hair while being a little shaken just hearing about such a fate.

Rick rubbed his eyes, still very much trying to get a handle on this new development. "So...what now?" he asked finally.

"That's hard to say." replied Marcus. "For now, the rider is appeased. The Saviors were some of the worst people we have encountered and the two of us were happy to get rid of them. But the real question is, can you all be able to have me around knowing what I am, what I contain?"

Glenn looked surprised, "Are you saying you're leaving?"

"No, but I won't fault anyone for wanting me gone." the rider replied.

"Why would we want that?" asked Maggie, one of her hands holding Glenn's while the other held her stomach. "You've done so much for all of us in the past, and you saved us last night. It doesn't matter what you are, you're still the same Marcus we've always known."

"Though, you are a bit more awesome now." Carl added with a grin which had a few of the others chuckling.

Abraham scratched his mustache, " O'le bonehead isn't gonna pop out and barbecue us is he?"

"Depends, Abe. You wanna be medium or well done?" Marcus shot back which had the large man laughing.

"Yup, still the same Marcus." said the former soldier.

"Can't blame ya for wantin' to keep that under wraps." said Daryl, running his hand through his hard nervously, "Though, I'm just glad ya brought it out when we needed it most."

Before anything else could be discussed, the doors to the room opened and a member of the Hilltop colony entered, "Sorry, but we just got a radio call from Alexandria. They say that a large herd is coming their way and they need you all back there."

Rick looked to Marcus, the current Ghost Rider looking back, a knowing smirk spreading on his face knowing what the former Sheriff was planning to ask him.

"I'll meet you all there." he said, standing and heading out of the room and out the front door. The rest of the group following after in time to see him jump onto his motorcycle and rev the engine loudly before gunning it out of the colony's open gate.

Beth watched Marcus leave, a gently smile tugging at her lips while her heart fluttered in her chest.

"I think daddy would approve of him." Maggie said, resting a hand on her shoulder. Her little sister smiling even more while they prepared to head back home to fend off the walkers.

 **X**

On the empty roads leading through the Virginia countryside, Marcus felt as through a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The others knew about his secret, and still valued him as a member of the group. Now he didn't have to hide what he was, or what he had to do now with his curse.

And right now, his people needed him.

Gripping the handlebars of his bike, Marcus grinned widely as both he and his ride burst into flames and converted into his Ghost Rider form. The newly changed bike leaving a trail of hellfire burning the asphalt as he shot down the road at supernatural speeds.


End file.
